Friends of Bradley Park

… a UK registered charity that owns and runs Bradley Park.

Friends of Bradley Park are the owners of Bradley Park and Bradley Park Community Centre. We took over the whole park on a community assets transfer scheme from Kirklees Council in December 2017. We are UK registered charity of local Bradley resident volunteers who manage the park in our spare time.

Friends of Bradley Park is a special type of charity called a CIO and was formed and registered on 24th August 2016. This move brought together more formally a number of the initial Steering Group members with the sole purpose of restoring and re-building Bradley Park after an arson attack in 2014. Our “tree” logo represents many of our founders coming together to create the park.

The Friends of Bradley Park charitable aims are:
The objects of the CIO are for the benefit of the inhabitants of Huddersfield, to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving their conditions of life for the inhabitants of the area of benefit in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improvement of Bradley Park.

In short this means creating a park that is owned and cared for by the local community it serves.

We are currently 15 members strong, with 4 trustees and a growing army of volunteers.

Chairman: Richard Barker Vice Chair: Lorna Hirst

Treasurer: Mandy Tomkin Secretary: Sharon Dawkins.

In addition to our members we subcontract out some of the more complex tasks such as maintenance and grass cutting and we also reply on community volunteers for many tasks.

Our History…

It fair to say that we have walked a long road and its not always been easy. Here is a timeline of our emotional roller-coaster so far…

19-10-2018

Power UP! Thanks to Smith Brothers

Four years after the old changing rooms burnt down the lights are now back on in Bradley Park thanks to a generous donation of time and materials by local electrical engineering firm Smith Brothers. The new purpose-built community centre at Bradley Park was due to open in the summer of 2018 but has been delayed by problems with our power supply. Bradley resident and Smith Brothers employee Darren Kirk lives next to the park and asked his management if they were able to help. Smith Brothers responded by not only designing a brand-new power supply but donated materials and equipment to make it happen and were able to mobilise a team of volunteers from their own workforce to install it.

As a result of Smith Brothers generosity, we now have a new, modern, fit for purpose power connection that will serve the Bradley Community well for many years to come. What’s more we are now back on track to open the new Bradley Park Community Centre in the coming weeks – not months! Bradley Park Community Centre will provide a new home for the Bradley Community and provide facilities not currently available in Bradley for people all ages. We cannot thank Smith Brothers and their staff enough for coming to help us.

03-07-2018

Bradley Park Community Centre Finally arrives!

We did it! FOBP Celebrates as Bradley Park Community Centre arrives early in the morning at Bradley Park!

21-06-2018

New Building arriving on 3rd July

Our new community building is coming to Bradley Park on Tuesday 3rd July! At least eight – 50 tonne loaded trucks and a very large crane will follow the route below. We will contact residents to ask that there are no cars parked on White Cross, Wilton Av and Meadow Croft on the day to allow the trucks to pass.

07-04-2018

New building reaches framework stage of construction

09-03-2018

GDGC Takeover maintenance of Bradley Park

GDGC will be responsible for grass cutting, bins and maintenance of Bradley Park. Weather permitting they will make their first of many site visits today. Maintenance and upkeep of Bradley Park is funded by the work of Friends of Bradley Park charity who run the park on a not for profit basis.

08-03-2018

Building work begins

Construction of our new building begins in tandem in both Lincolnshire and on site.

21-12-2017

Friends of Bradley Park take over the whole Park

At 4.30pm today the legal transfer of Bradley Park to us was complete and the people of Bradley became the first in the region to own and run their own park.

18-12-2017

Friends of Bradley Park take over the Depot

Today Friends of Bradley Park took control of the old Kirklees Council depot, yard and storage on Bradley Park. Our new depot will be used for community storage for groups such as Bradley Girl guides and for park maintenance equipment. The supply of power, toilets and water to the field will greatly improve the quality of events such as our annual fun day on Bradley Park.

12-12-2017

FOBP Signs the lease!

Chairman Richard Barker and Trustee Yvette Bushby have signed the paperwork. On Monday the 18th of December 2017 people of Bradley will own Bradley Park!

04-12-2017

Lease arrives for signing

A copy of the 125 year lease of Bradley Park has arrived!

27-11-2017

Lease approved by FOBP

Friends or Bradley Park members have approved a historic motion to sign the proposed 125 year lease with Kirklees Council and bring Bradley Park into community ownership. A preliminary date for the handover was set as the 18th of December 2017. The vote was held at the at the Bradley TRA and represents a massive step towards a commitment to having Bradley Park run by the community for the community. Signing the lease will release significant funding for a new community building, offices, meeting room and changing facilities for which the group already has planning permission. The new facilities and extensive sports pitches will be rented to community groups on a not for profit basis to pay for park maintenance and improvements

06-10-2017

First site visit from the building manufacturers

Friends of Bradley Park have just had a very productive site meeting with Ged O’Reilly, the Managing Director of Avalon Cabins. Avalon are the proposed contractors for our new building and were at Bradley Park today to do their first site visit to check the site and construction access!

The Bradley Park Charity Fun Day returns for its second year.

Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that came and supported us today The weather could have been better but…

11-07-2017

Planning Permission for the new building is approved!

Another major milestone is reached as we have received planning approval for the new building! http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/planning-applications/search-for-planning-applications/filedownload.aspx?application_number=2017/91135&file_reference=645151

12-05-2017

Friends of Bradley Park are successful in the 1st stage application of funding for new park railings

We have applied for £50,000 for new Park railings. FoBP are now through to the second stage in the process of applying for funds from the peoples lottery.

05-05-2017

Planning permission gets underway

Friends of Bradley Park today submitted a planning application for the new building. You can see the application online.

04-05-2017

Friends of Bradley Park wins APT award for outstanding effort - 2017

29-04-2017

£200 Donation received from Huddersfield ASDA community fund

A massive thank you to Huddersfield ASDA and all of you that voted for a £200 donation to Friends of Bradley Park.

31-03-2017

Kirklees Council Cabinet approve the community assets transfer application.

This is a massive milestone for Friends of Bradley Park. Once the paperwork is complete later in the year the whole of Bradley Park including the council depot will be in community ownership!

29-03-2017

There is a great write up about us

..and our plans for Bradley Park in the latest edition of the Ashbrow community newsletter. If you’ve not got a copy you can read it online by clicking here

Ashbrow Community Newsletter

28-02-2017

"Any council green space" consultation completed

This is part of the procedure for handing over responsibility for council green spaces.

18-02-2017

First charity coffee morning and tombola

Our first charity coffee morning and tombola at the TRA raises much needed funds.

31-01-2017

The council implement a temporary solution to securing the park gets underway

18-01-2017

Drafts Terms produced for 125 year lease of Bradley Park

.. were received by FoBP from Kirklees Council. These outline the terms of a 125 year lease of Bradley Park.

01-11-2016

Community assets transfer application submitted.

A formal application for the assets transfer of Bradley Park to Friends of Bradley Park is submitted today.

10-10-2016

New Building specification finalised

After much deliberation and discussion the final internal layout of the new building is approved by members of Friends of Bradley Park. Here is the agreed layout…

24-08-2016

Friends of Bradley Park becomes a registered charity!

A new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Friends of Bradley Park was formed and registered on 24th August 2016, bringing together more formally a number of the Bradley Park Steering Group members.

20-08-2016

First Bradley Park Fun Day

Friends of Bradley Park successfully held their first large event. A fun day on Bradley Park.

25-07-2016

a draft constitution for the new charity group was formed and the founding trustees and chairman are appointed.

14-06-2016

Budget costs and market rates analysed

.. for the new building!

12-05-2016

A 50 page draft business plan was finalised

.. to support the formal application to transfer ownership and all responsibility for Bradley Park to the Friends of Bradley Park. This plan includes full details of the proposed new building and in depth financial analysis and projections.

22-06-2015

Consultation with community and stakeholders to influence specification and design of facilities

The steering group today launched a consultation with community and stakeholders to influence specification and design of the new facilities on Bradley Park.

12-05-2015

Steering group established

A Steering group for Bradley Park is established from a coming together of the following local groups and organisations.

Bradley Tenants & Residents Association

St Thomas School

Bradley Out of School Club

Bradley Brownies

Chestnut Family Forum

Various local individuals

Ashbrow Partnering Together

Other Stakeholder Interest includes:

Local ward councillors

Huddersfield Deanery Project

Huddersfield school Boys Football Team

Deighton Into Sport Project

10-07-2014

Arsonists destroy the old changing rooms

12-05-1964

New playground in 1964

12-05-1952

Bradley Park opened in 1952

alongside the new Bradley Estate. The new park had a pitch and putt and a paddling pool – both now long gone.

Rent a room or pitch

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This website is owned and run by Friends of Bradley Park - We are grateful to www.vidahost.com for free charity hosting.